Silence Before The Storm
by Davidozzo
Summary: House and Cuddy are together for almost 5 months now. But one day might change everything for them. Huddy relationship. No spoilers. Rating T for a reason, might be higher.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**This is my second House story. I had the idea after I watched an episode of CSI: Miami.**

**please review and tell me if you like it or not. **

**~Davidozzo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own House or any House characters. **

* * *

Beep…beep…beep…beep… The sound of an alarm clock echoed through the still dark room before a small arm reached for it. Only seconds later the room was filled with silence again. The small woman turned around in her bed and placed her arm across the other side of the bed where she found an extremely handsome man. He seemed to still be asleep. So she lifted her side of the covers to get out of bed. A deep voice stopped her.

"Don't get up, Cuddles . It is not even 6 a.m." House groaned and pulled her back in bed.

"Well, I need to get up before Rachel wakes up, if I want to do some Yoga." She said. House grinned.

"I can help you with that." He said seductively. Cuddy gave in and huddled against House who placed a kiss on her lips. It was funny. Even though they were together for almost 5 months now, Cuddy always felt very excited when she was around House.

He always tried new things and it never got boring with him. She joined him in the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

House didn't waste time and pinned Cuddy to the mattress. He slowly moved his hands under the hem of her nightgown while he placed a trail of kisses along her jaw and collar bone. Cuddy had been surprised how he always knew what she liked. She moved her hands away from his neck towards his pajama pants and hooked her thumbs into both sides of the waistline. House's kisses now reached Cuddy's breasts.

"Hi, Patty and Selma. It's nice to see you again." House whispered and Cuddy couldn't withhold a laugh.

"I really have to think about some names for your parts. Ha-ha." She said to House who looked at her for a second. "You should." Cuddy used that time to pull him up to her again and she kissed him passionately.

Both of them were already very aroused when they heard a sound. It was a murmur coming from the baby monitor. They broke the kiss and groaned.

"She has got very bad timing." House said and rolled off Cuddy. Cuddy lifted the covers and smirked. "I guess I should go and leave you some time to … uhm … cool off." She said waving her head towards the tent that was visible in House's pants. "Yeah, I guess you are right." House answered and lifted his side of the covers.

Cuddy got out of bed and walked towards Rachel's room. Rachel was standing in her bad waiting for someone to pick her up. "Hey Rachel, how are you? Did you sleep well?" Cuddy asked while picking her up. "Mama … hungy." She babbled. "Alright let´s get you dressed and then have some breakfast. Cuddy answered.

Within 10 minutes Rachel was dressed and sitting in her chair in the kitchen. Cuddy grabbed a bowl and some cereals, placed the bowl in front of Rachel and sat down next to her. House entered the kitchen, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He walked over to Rachel.

"Hey, munchkin." Rachel's eyes grew wide and she squealed when she saw House. The last couple months Rachel and House had spent some time together and Rachel seemed to like him a lot. House walked towards Cuddy and leaned down to kiss her.

"If you want to get ready, I can sit with Rachel." He said. Cuddy nodded and kissed him again before walking out of the kitchen.

House turned towards Rachel. "You know, we need to have a talk about your timing, little munchkin." Rachel giggled and looked at him with her eyes wide open before turning her attention back to the bowl of cereal in front of her.

A little before 7 a.m. Cuddy emerged from her bedroom, fully dressed and styled. Rachel had finished her breakfast and was now playing with her toys in the living room. House looked up when he heard Cuddy enter the living room and whistled.

"Wow, you got a date I should know about?" he asked and got up from the couch.

"I got a board meeting this morning at 8." Cuddy answered smiling. He pulled her into a hug and leaned down to kiss her. Before his lips met hers the phone rang.

House groaned and rolled his eyes. "Doesn't anyone know something about timing these days?" he stated and let Cuddy go. She answered the phone.

"Yes…Marina…Oh, are you ok? I understand…No problem, take your time…See you later…Bye."

After she hung up the phone Cuddy walked to House. "Marina had a small accident. She will get here later and I really need to get going." She said sounding stressed. House pulled her into an embrace. "It's ok. I'll watch Rachel until Marina gets here. Go to your meeting." House offered. Cuddy looked at him.

"Really? Are you sure about that? I mean Rachel can be very…" House cut her off.

"Whatever, I've done that before, haven't I?" he said and started to smile at her again. "But you have to promise me that we will continue what we started today as soon as I get to the hospital."

"House." Cuddy said loudly and hit softly House into his shoulder. "No kinky business on hospital grounds. We made that rule."

"No, you made it. And I was stupid enough not to disagree." House complained.

"Well, if you behave today I promise we will continue when I get home from work." Houses eyes lit up immediately and he kissed her once more.

Rachel caught their attention when she stood by their legs and pulled on Houses jeans. "Alright munchkin, I guess we will spend some time together until Marina comes here." House said picking her up from the floor. Cuddy grabbed her coat and briefcase and hugged Rachel.

"See you later, Rachel. Have fun today." She kissed House and left for work.

House set Rachel back down after the front door closed. She walked towards the piano. "Musi'" She babbled and looked at House. He walked towards the piano and sat down on the chair. "Do you want to play with me? I think Mommy would like that." Rachel nodded and House picked her up to sit on his lap. As soon as he pressed the first keys Rachel was rocking back and forth.

Cuddy walked through the front doors of PPTH at 7:40a.m. Brenda walked towards her. "Good morning, Dr. Cuddy. I put the copies you asked about yesterday on your desk." Cuddy thanked her and entered her office. Her desk was filled with some papers that needed to be signed.

Cuddy sat down on her chair and picked up her phone to call House. After three rings he picked up. "Miss me already?" he answered. Cuddy smiled.

"No."

"No? I am hurt. Really." House said with a fake hurt voice.

"Sorry, I just wanted to call to hear if everything is ok." Cuddy said.

"No problems. Your little spawn really loves music. Fell asleep again. You know we should remember this for the future if she's got bad timing again." House said making Cuddy smile.

"I guess we could try. So Marina is not there yet?" Cuddy asked and before House could answer the door bell rang.

"There is someone at the door. Might be Marina. See you later, Cuddles." House said and hung up. He limped towards the door and opened it.

A man was standing in front of him, a gun drawn. House tried to close the door fast but the man already had a foot in the door and fired towards House. House got hit and fell onto the ground. The man that shot House smiled and walked back towards his car and drove away.

Rachel had been asleep on the couch, a blanket over her. But the gunshot woke her up. She slid off the couch and walked into the hall where House was lying. He wasn't moving. Rachel walked towards him and kneeled next to him.

"Dada … dadaaa!"

* * *

Ohhh...drama...

Please Review

V


	2. Chapter 2

Sooo... This is the next chapter.

Wow. Second update today, I am proud of myself.

This should answer some of the questions that were asked in the reviews.

Thanks a lot for your reviews, I always like it when you like it.

Disclaimer: Same as in Chapter 1.

~Davidozzo

* * *

Tap…tap…tap…tap. He little feet of the girl made a tapping sound on the sidewalk although she had only socks on her feet. It was already chilly outside and the leaves are blown over the street. Most of the residents were already at work. Those who weren't didn't set a foot outside due to the low temperatures. Rachel kept walking. She was crying and the tears were running down her cheeks.

After 10 minutes, which seemed to her like hours, she saw a woman walking towards her. She was saying something.

"Hello, Sweetie, why are you crying? Where is your mommy?" That woman seemed to be nice and Rachel stopped walking. The woman took a closer look at Rachel and noticed that she was covered in blood. The woman was suddenly horrified and shouted for someone.

"Are you alright, sweetie? Are you hurt?" she asked Rachel and checked for injuries, which she couldn't find. Moments later a man emerged from the house and ran towards them. He looked at his wife and then at Rachel.

"Oh, my god. I am calling an ambulance and the police." He said and ran back into the house. The woman was still kneeling in front of Rachel and talked to her.

"What's your name, sweetie?" Rachel looked at her.

"Rachel." The woman smiled.

"Rachel. That is a nice name. Do you know where you live?" Rachel looked around and shook her head.

"Dada…" she said.

"Is your Daddy at home?"

"Dadaa…!" Rachel said again and started crying.

The paramedics and the police arrived only moments later. A female police officer walked towards the woman and Rachel and talked to the woman.

"She came from there, she was crying. First I thought she was hurt, but she doesn't seem to have any injuries." The woman told the police officer. "Her name is Rachel. She told me earlier." She added. The officer turned towards Rachel.

"Hey, Rachel. My name is Lisa." She told Rachel. Rachel looked at her. That name was familiar to her. She had heard some people to call her mommy Lisa. Rachel whimpered.

"Mo-mo-mommy." The Officer looked at her.

"Is your mommy's name Lisa?"

"Y-yes." The paramedics walked towards Rachel and picked her up.

"I will need her clothes for the investigation." The officer told them and the paramedics took off Rachel's clothes and put some blankets around her to keep her warm.

* * *

Marina was finally able to leave the junction where another car had hit hers. She turned into the neighborhood where Cuddy was living and looked at the clock in her car. It was now 8:30. She took another turn to the left and saw a police car and an ambulance in front of a house.

While she drove by she glanced over there and thought she saw Rachel sitting on the paramedic's gurney. She stopped a couple meters behind the police car, got out of her car and walked over to the ambulance. Before she could reach it the female police officer stopped her.

"Excuse me, miss, you cannot go there." She informed Marina. Marina looked towards the ambulance.

"Rachel?" she asked loudly and Rachel looked around to see who was asking for her. She spotted Marina.

"Rina!" she squealed happily. The officer turned towards Marina.

"Do you know this girl?" she asked her.

"Yes, I am her babysitter. Her name is Rachel Cuddy. She lives with her mother, Lisa Cuddy, a couple blocks down there." Marina explained.

"Can you show us there? We will follow you." The officer asked. "Sure." Marina said and walked back to her car. The officer ran back to her car and got in with her partner. They followed Marina to Cuddy's house. The officers got out of the police car and walked towards the door.

"You stay back here." They told Marina who waited by her car. As soon as they saw the open door they drew their guns and walked into the house.

They immediately found House on the floor and checked for other people. The male officer checked House's pulse and shouted for the paramedics. "We need you guys in here. We got a 50 year old man down, gunshot wound to the chest, barely alive."

The paramedics rushed inside and checked on House. The female officer came back outside.

"Miss could you come in here." She said and Marina followed her into the house.

"Do you know this man?" she asked Marina. Marina looked at the man on the floor and gasped.

"That is Dr. Greg House. He is Lisa's boyfriend. He stays over a lot." Marina told the officer.

"Do you know where he lives?"

"No, but he works at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. He is a doctor there and Dr. Cuddy is the Dean of Medicine." Marina said.

The paramedics put House on a gurney and rolled him towards the ambulance. Marina was now holding Rachel. As soon as she saw House she babbled and stretched her arms towards him.

"Dada…hurt…dada." The female police officer turned to Marina.

"We will take Rachel to the hospital." Marina nodded and handed Rachel to the other woman. "If you want you can follow us." Marina agreed. In her car she dialed Cuddy's number but she didn't answer.

* * *

Cuddy was still in her board meeting and didn't notice her ringing cell phone. At 9:15 the board meeting finally ended and Cuddy walked towards the elevator. She noticed the missed call from Marina and called her back. Marina didn't answer. Cuddy shut her cell phone and exited the elevator on the main floor.

Nurse Brenda walked towards her.

"There are two police officers in your office. They need to talk to you. And your babysitter is in exam room one with Rachel and another police officer." Cuddy looked at her confused.

"What?" she muttered and entered her office. There were two police officers, a woman and a man.

"How can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Are you Lisa Cuddy?" the woman asked her and Cuddy nodded.

"Yes."

"I am Officer Lisa Demaro, this is Officer Michael Greenson. Neighbors found your daughter wandering on the streets and called us." Cuddy looked at the woman.

"What?"

"She was covered in blood. Your babysitter, Marina Almeira, recognized her when she was driving by our police car. She identified her and told us where she lived." Cuddy still looked at the woman and didn't know what to say.

"When we reached your house we found Dr. Gregory House on the floor. He was shot." Cuddy gasped and covered her face with her hands.

"Oh, my god. Is he alive?" Cuddy asked.

"The paramedics brought him here. He was barely alive." Cuddy buried her face in her hands once more. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She needed to with him and Rachel now.

* * *

Chapter 3 is up next...with the question: Who did it? Any guesses from your side? (tell me) And possibly some Huddy goodies...

Please review

V


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Soo guys... This is going to be the last chapter before I go on vacation tomorrow. In that time I won't publish anything, but I will probably finish the story. So far I have pretty much an idea where this is going. **

**It is pretty long and I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: as in chapter 1**

**~Davidozzo**

* * *

Tick…tock…tick…tock…The clock in the exam room ticked steadily. Marina was sitting on a chair and held Rachel in her arms. The trouble that morning had made Rachel very tired and so she fell asleep only moments after Marina had sat down on the chair.

The police man peeked through the window blinds and watched the people in the clinic. Sick people were sitting in the waiting room. Every once in a while a doctor appeared and escorted one patient into one of the remaining exam rooms. The nurses were all standing together and talking. The police officer noticed that they glimpsed towards the Dean's office and this exam room. They were obviously talking about the incident that happened earlier this morning.

"I need to go and see my daughter and Greg. Is that ok?" Cuddy asked. The officer nodded.

"Sure, but we need to ask you some questions before you leave." Cuddy sat down on her couch and motioned to the chairs.

"Why has Dr. House been at your house this morning?" The Officer Demaro asked Cuddy.

"He stayed over last night. This morning I had a board meeting. When Marina called that she had an accident, he offered to watch Rachel." Officer Demaro scribbled on her notepad.

"Has he been at your house regularly?"

"Well, it depends. Sometimes I am staying at his place."

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt him? Someone who knows where you live?"

Cuddy thought about it for a couple seconds.

"Well. I don't know. 5 months ago I broke up with my fiancé to be with Greg. He was really angry at the time, but I don't think he would do something like that." Officer Demaro looked up from her notepad.

"What is his name?" "Lucas Douglas."

"Alright, if you want, you can go and see your family." Officer Demaro said and Cuddy got up. "Thank you."

She left the room. As soon as she entered the clinic the nurses stopped talking and watched her.

When Cuddy glanced towards them and they immediately turned away and pretended to be working. Cuddy opened the door to exam room one.

"Lisa." Marina said.

"Marina, how are you?" Cuddy asked taking Rachel from her arms.

"I am fine, Lisa. If you want I can take Rachel so you can see House." She offered.

"Yes. Thank you. Call me when Rachel wakes up." Cuddy said and handed Rachel back to Marina before leaving the room.

'Where is House now?' Cuddy thought. 'Probably in the ER.'

* * *

House had arrived in the ER at 9 a.m. Chase and Foreman had been in House's office studying case files when they were paged to the ER.

"What do we got here?" Foreman asked as they arrived in the ER.

"50-year old man with a gunshot wound to the chest is coming in. There are not enough doctors in so I paged you guys." The attending doctor told them. "Prepare yourselves. They should be here any second."

Foreman rolled his eyes. "Great. Now we're down here instead of finding a patient for House." They put on some scrubs in order to avoid stains on their shirts. The sirens of an incoming ambulance were getting louder. Moments later the doors to the ER were pushed open. Two paramedics were rolling a gurney in. One of them was holding a bag of saline. The other was holding a chart.

"We got a 50-year old man, gunshot wound to the chest, he is unconscious, his pulse is weak, and we intubated him in the field." The EMT told Foreman and Chase who immediately joined them. At first they kept looking at the wound. Chase glanced towards the head and froze for a split-second.

"Foreman. It's House." He said and Foreman looked up.

"What?" Chase pointed towards the face.

"It's House." He repeated.

"He got shot again? Someone's really got a grudge against him." Foreman said with a smirk. They lifted House off the gurney onto one of the day beds. Foreman inspected the wound. "Looks like the bullet is still in there. We need to schedule an emergency surgery." Foreman said and they transported him into the OR.

* * *

Cuddy walked into the ER area. House wasn't there and she panicked.

'What if he…? No, don't start with those thoughts.' Cuddy thought and walked up to the nurses' station.

"Can you tell me where the man with the gunshot wound is?" Cuddy asked.

"Excuse me. I have to check that." The nurse said after looking at Cuddy and walked to the stack of charts.

'What is taking so long? There couldn't have been a lot of gunshot wounds.' Cuddy thought impatiently. The nurse returned and held a chart in her hands.

"Gryory Houve." The nurse said trying to decipher her handwriting. Cuddy looked at her doubtfully.

"What? You mean Gregory House?" She was fuming that she allowed such incompetent personnel to work at her hospital.

"Uhhm, yes. He got transferred into emergency surgery. He is in OR one." The nurse said.

"Thank you, next time write stuff like that neater, so that you and others are actually able to read the information you are writing down." Cuddy said with an annoyed tone in her voice before she left.

* * *

She took her cell phone and dialed.

"Wilson, where are you?"

"I am in my office, what's up Cuddy?"

"House got shot this morning." Wilson fell silent.

"I am on my way to OR one."

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Wait for me I am coming down." Wilson said and ended the call to rush down to the OR.

* * *

In OR one the team was already operating when Cuddy entered the gallery above. She leaned on the wall.

For the first time since she heard about House, Cuddy felt unobserved. A single tear ran down her cheek. Down below her Foreman and Chase were trying to extract the bullet from House's chest. All of a sudden, the monitors started to beep.

"V-tac, get the paddles!" Chase yelled and a scrub nurse rolled them over to his side. Cuddy immediately moved closer to the glass, almost pressing her face against it.

"Charge 300. Clear" The first round of shocks went through House's body but the monitors showed no improvement.

"Charge 360. Clear." Chase shocked House again. But still the monitors kept beeping. Cuddy almost went crazy in the gallery.

"Come on, House, don't do this to me. Come on, Greg." She yelled not caring if anyone in the hallway could hear her.

"Charge again. Clear." House's chest rose one more time when the electric bolt went through his body. This time it had an effect. The heart monitors went back to a regular beat and everyone seemed to be relieved. Cuddy walked to the back wall and sat down burying her face in her hands. She had almost lost House. All the dams seemed to break within seconds. Tears were streaming down her face and she sobbed bitterly.

Wilson entered the gallery and found Cuddy on the floor. "Hey. What happened?" He asked her as he sat down next to her and took her into his arm. Cuddy tried to talk in between her sobs.

"When I … came back … from the meeting … there were two police officers … in my office … waiting for me. They told me that … House had been shot … and that he … was lucky to be found …" Wilson listened to her carefully and patted her head.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. Cuddy thought about his offer for a moment.

"Could you ... fill in for me today? I don't think that ... I can work today." Cuddy asked.

"Sure. No problem." Wilson said "But call me if anything happens with House." Wilson hugged her once more and left the gallery.

* * *

At the same time Officer Demaro and her partner arrived at Lucas' apartment. They got out of the car and knocked at his door. Nothing seemed to move within the apartment so they knocked one more time. "He seems to be at work. " Officer Demaro said and they walked back to their car. Before they got there the door to Lucas' apartment opened and he stood in front of them, dressed in pajama pants and a shirt.

"Can I help you?" he asked drowsily. The two officers walked back to the door.

"Yes, I hope so. Are you Lucas Douglas?" Officer Demaro asked him.

"Yes." Lucas answered.

"I am Officer Demaro. This is my partner Officer Greenson. We would like to ask you a couple questions. May we come in?" she told Lucas who let them both in his apartment and closed the door behind them.

"What can I do for the local police?" he asked motioning to the couch. The two officers sat down.

"Mr. Douglas. Where were you between 7:45 and 8:15 this morning?" Officer Demaro asked him.

"Uhm. I was asleep in my bed. You know I work as a private investigator and yesterday I had to do some observation until about 5a.m." he answered.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Lucas looked at them confused.

"What exactly is this about?" Officer Demaro who had been writing in her notepad looked at him.

"This morning there has been a shooting at the house of a Lisa Cuddy, I think that name is familiar to you?"

"Oh, my god. Is she ok?" Lucas was now totally awake.

"Yes, but would you please answer my question. Can anyone confirm that you were here this morning?" Officer Demaro asked emphatically.

"No, I was alone. Bo you think that I would hurt her or her daughter?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know? What about a Gregory House? Would you hurt him?" Lucas was completely confused by that question.

"What? Was he the one who got shot?" Lucas asked.

"Did you do it?" Officer Demaro asked him.

"Look, 5 months ago I was really pissed when he practically stole my fiancé. But I moved on. Believe me. I mean if I wanted revenge, why should I wait 5 months. I could have gotten it earlier." Lucas said. "I just want Lisa to be happy. If she is happy with this jerk then ok. I got no reason to shoot him." He continued. Officer Demaro looked at him.

"Alright. For now that's it. But if we have any questions, we will come back. Don't leave the state." She said and they left Lucas' apartment. Lucas closed the door behind them.

* * *

House's surgery was finished around 10:30. Cuddy had watched it from the gallery. She got up from the floor and wiped away her tears trying to disguise the fact that she had been crying. In the ICU hallway she met Foreman and Chase who were bringing House to an empty room.

"How is he?" Cuddy asked them. Her makeup was smudgy and her eyes were red from crying.

"He is currently stable. During the surgery he went into V-tac and we had to shock his heart."

"I know." Cuddy said.

"The wound stopped bleeding and we were able to remove all of the bullet fragments." Foreman continued.

Cuddy pulled up a chair and sat down next to House. She took his hand and held it tight. Foreman and Chase excused themselves and left the room. Suddenly Cuddy's cell phone rang.

She looked at the caller ID. It was Marina.

"Marina, what's up." She answered."Ah, Rachel woke up. Alright I will come down to … yes or you can come up here. Sure. …House is out of surgery. He is stable." Cuddy said while brushing through his hair with her free hand. "Alright Marina. I will see you up here." Cuddy ended the call and turned her attention back to House.

"You know you really scared me today, Greg. Don't you ever do that again!" She got up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Marina knocked on the glass wall and Cuddy got up. Rachel was happy to see her mother.

"Mommmy!" she yelled and attracted the nurses' attention. Cuddy took her into her arms and hugged her. Marina patted Rachel's head.

"How are you doing Lisa?" She asked.

"Well, I have been better. At least House is stable right now. I already panicked when they had to resuscitate him in the OR." Cuddy told Marina.

"Well, do you want me to take Rachel home with me, so you can be with Greg?" Cuddy didn't know what to say.

"Do you really think it is ok?"

"Sure. I think I got some clothes from my nieces and some toys at home. So that won't be a problem." It took a load off Cuddy's mind.

"Thank you Marina. But call me if anything happens. OK?" Cuddy said and handed Rachel back to Marina.

"Hey, Sweetie. You will spend the day with Marina, ok?" Rachel looked at her happily and gave her a kiss before she left with Marina.

"What do think about the zoo? Do you want to go to the zoo today?" Marina asked Rachel. Before they disappeared behind the corner Cuddy heard Rachel babble deliriously. Cuddy spend the whole day at House's bed. The beeping monitor lulled her into a sleep.

* * *

It was already dark when House regained consciousness. Cuddy still slept on her chair next to House's bed. She was curled up like a ball and held House's hand with her own. When she felt him move she woke up immediately, looked at him and called a nurse. Foreman entered the room only seconds later. House struggled against the tube in his windpipe.

"House, hold still. I am going to remove the tube." He said and removed the tube. Then he checked House's pupils.

"Do you know where you are?"

House shook his head.

"Do you know who you are?" House looked at him.

"No." he whispered.

"What happened?" Cuddy asked Foreman.

"I have no idea. He seemed to have lost all memories."

They looked at each other quite shocked.

* * *

**A/N: Ok this is it. Please don't kill me right now... I am sorry that I am leaving you with this cliffie for 2 weeks (that's how long I will be gone).**

**Chapter 4 will probably be up on 5th of October. That's when I get back. Yeah I know it's sad that I will miss the first THREE episodes but thank god for those wonderful things named DVR. So I will be able to watch the first three episodes when I get back. Soooo excited.**

**But I got a question for you: What do you think happens, now that House lost his memory? (Don't worry I already have a solution for that problem ;-D)**

**~Davidozzo**

**don't forget to review**

**V**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, guys. **

**First of all, I am still alive. I know that I promised to update earlier, but I had lots of stress over the last weeks: hospital stay because of a pankreatitis (never thought I'd get something like that), then lots of stuff to repeat cause I missed 2 weeks of studies and then no internet.**

**Secondly, I got a lot of messages concerning House's memory loss. Although I am no medical student or doctor, I can imagine that memory loss after such a surgery is pretty uncommon. The answer is in this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy it.**

**And don't forgert to review. Please.**

**~Davidozzo**

* * *

_A week earlier_

The woman walked around in the kitchen. She was trying to think, how to explain to her husband that she wanted to leave him. Fortunately her kids were in summer camp and wouldn't be back for two weeks.

A year ago she had met a man. He had fascinated her from the beginning. Back then she had decided to stay with her husband and their kids. But during the last year, she found herself thinking about the man she had met all the time, at the supermarket, in her car on her way to work, while she was cooking for her family. Once or twice she believed to see him on the street.

Her husband didn't seem to notice her mental absence. She felt alone in her marriage and finally had the courage to tell her husband about the other man.

Suddenly she heard a noise and almost jumped. It was her husband entering the house after work. As usual he threw his keys into the key-bowl in the hall. He entered the kitchen and noticed her.

"Hey, you are here already. I thought you went to see Anna." Her husband said and came closer to her to kiss her on the cheek. The woman turned away before he reached her.

"No, I told her that I will see her tomorrow." She said and hesitated for a minute, before she continued. She took a deep breath.

"Bill, we need to talk." Her husband looked at her in surprise.

"OK. If you want to talk, let's talk." He motioned her to sit down. "What's wrong Lydia?" She didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Then she started.

"I can not do this anymore." She simply said. Bill looked at her again. His face showed his confusion.

"What do you mean? Do you mean Anna? I mean I can arrange to see her more often ..." Lydia interrupted him.

"I meant us."

"What do you want to say? We are happy, aren't we?" Bill asked shocked about Lydia's statement.

"For the past year I have been unhappy. You never noticed and never asked me how I was. I think we just lived apart." Bill was furious.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean that I just can't do this anymore." She said motioning with her hands between them. "I already packed my stuff I will stay at my sister's place." Bill was completely shocked. After a couple minutes of silence he spoke up.

"Why do you want to leave so suddenly? … You met some one. That's it isn't it?" Lydia didn't answer and looked down.

"Answer me, Lydia. Do you really want to give up your family because of a fling?" Lydia looked up and saw the pain in his eyes.

"ANSWER ME!" Bill screamed.

"Yes. I met someone about a year ago." Lydia confessed.

"You cheated on me for a year?"

"No I …" Her voice broke off. "I met him a year ago when Anna was in Mayfield. When he heard that I was going to move to Arizona he came to me and asked me to stay with him. Back then I couldn't do it. I didn't have the courage to leave my family. But now I do."

"So you slept with him back then?" Bill asked and Lydia just nodded. He was in rage and suddenly got up to leave the room without any words. Seconds later she heard her bag falling down the stairs. Lydia walked into the hall where she found Bill throwing her bags down the stairs.

"I want you to leave right now." Lydia grabbed her bag and her jacket.

"I am sorry Bill." She said before walking out of the door.  
On her way to her car she felt tears running down her cheeks. 'That went well' she thought. Once she was in her car she decided not to go to her sister's place. Instead Lydia headed to the airport in Phoenix.

Greg had told her about his job. He was a doctor in Princeton, Head of Diagnostics at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. She had to see him and tell him what she felt and most important that she had left her husband.

The time flew by and at 3:20 Lydia arrived at the airport in Phoenix and headed towards one of the counters.

"Hello. How can I help you?" The woman across the counter asked her.

"Uhm. I would like to go to Princeton in New Jersey." The other woman nodded and checked for the next flight. "The next flight will be at 6:35 pm., should I book it for you?" "Yes, please." After paying she received her ticket. Lydia went for a coffee since it was too early to check in. Now she noticed that she hadn't eaten all day. Her stomach growled. So she sat down in a restaurant and ordered a coffee and a bagel.

While Lydia waited for her bagel, her thoughts drifted off to Greg. She knew that he worked at PPTH. But back then she hadn't asked him where he lived. That meant that the hospital was her first station. She hoped to find him.

* * *

_Present time_

Cuddy looked at Foreman, shocked and then turned back to House. "Greg, do you know who I am?" She asked him and held his hand. House's serious face quickly turned into a smile. He lifted his other hand and brushed over Cuddy's cheek.

"How could I forget you?" he said and Cuddy's facial expressions relaxed. "Did you think I forgot about the little deal we made earlier?" House added.

"You are a bastard." Cuddy said loudly when she found her voice. "That's not funny and you know it."

Foreman sighed. "So, you know who we are and where you are?" "Sure. You are the black moron and my personal dominatrix." House said first pointing at Foreman and then at Cuddy. "The only thing that's wrong with me is the hole someone made by shooting me." House said pointing towards his chest.

"How do you feel? How is the pain?" Foreman asked. "Well, regarding the fact that I got shot, I feel ok. Pain is 7 out of 10." House answered. "But it has a good side." He looked at Foreman and Cuddy waiting for a guess from one of them. "Pain in the leg is gone."

Foreman grinned. "Alright, you should rest. I will tell the officers that they can talk to you tomorrow." He said and left the room. Cuddy sat down on the edge of House's bed.

"I was worried about you. When the police officers stood in my office and told me that somebody shot you…" Her voice broke off and tears started streaming down her cheeks.

"Don't ever do that again, do you hear me?" Cuddy said. House wiped a tear from her cheek and pulled her next to himself.

"What exactly do you mean with: 'Don't ever do that again'? It's not like I can control everyone who has the urge to shoot me." House said dryly and Cuddy chuckled.

They silent for a couple minutes before House opened his mouth and asked.

"Can we make an exception for the 'NO kinky business on hospital grounds'-rule? I remember that you promised hot sex as soon as you got home." He looked at Cuddy waiting for a reaction. Cuddy lifted her head and looked into House's blue eyes.

"No." she answered without any change in her facial expression. House groaned. "Urgh. You are killing me woman."

"You should rest and get some sleep now." Cuddy said and sat up in the bed. House held her back when she tried to get up.

"Stay with me, Cuddy." He said and Cuddy nodded as she lay back down. House held her tight and they quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**That was it. **

**Please review**

**V  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_**The next chapter is coming right up. It is going to be some background again, including some Huddy intimacy (in the beginning) and the big surprise for House (Lydia's arrival). I know it was very unexpected in the last chapter, but it's going to be resolved soon. **_

_**~Davidozzo**_

* * *

A week earlier

At 10:30 pm Lydia arrived in Princeton. She figured that it was too late to show up at the hospital to see Greg. So she looked for a motel to get some sleep. 10 minutes away from the airport she stopped at a small motel and checked in.

* * *

At the same time House was still sitting in his office preparing to leave. The case he worked on seemed to be tricky and he hadn't been at home for 2 days. House had told his team to retest the patient's blood and to call him as soon as they got news. His cell phone vibrated and moved on his desk while playing:

'_You can't always get what you want  
But if you try sometimes you might find  
You get what you need'_

"Yeah." He answered it.

"Hey, where are you?" Cuddy asked him.

"I am leaving right now. And where are you?"

"I am at home. Did the patient get better?" Cuddy asked with her administrative voice.

"No, but I told my team to call me as soon as they got news. What are you doing?" Cuddy chuckled.

"I am taking a bath."

"Aw, you should have called me earlier. But, no problem, I'll be there in 10 minutes." House said and checked his watch. "Make that 5."

He continued and hung up his cell phone to rush out of the office.

At the elevator he bumped into Wilson.

"What are you still doing here?" House asked him. "Having trouble in the 'Land of Revival Relationships'?" Wilson shook his head.

"No, Sam is on a business trip and I decided to catch up on some paperwork."

"What are you still doing here? Did you have a fight with Cuddy?"

"No, I am meeting her right now. And we probably won't fight, although the amount of noise might actually be the same."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "You know, I don't actually want or need to hear that."

House smiled at him. "Yes you do. And I am grateful to teach you that."

The elevator doors opened and House stormed into the elevator. Wilson stood outside for a second.

"Are coming or not? Unlike you one of us has a woman waiting at home." Wilson sighed and stepped inside.

* * *

Lydia got the keys for her room and walked up the stairs with her bag. She opened the door and locked it from the inside. She couldn't believe that she was going to see Greg. This was surreal. They never had contact during the last year.

Maybe he got a job somewhere else and didn't work here anymore. She remembered him telling her that he needed a change in his life. Lydia shook her head and decided to lie down. She was tired form the day and her flight.

* * *

10 minutes after House had left the hospital he arrived at Cuddy's house. He parked his motorcycle in front of it and quickly walked towards the door. As soon as he reached it the door opened and Cuddy stood in front of him to let him in. Once House was inside he rolled his eyes.

"I told you to wait for me." He said and kissed her. Cuddy put her hands around his neck and drew him closer.

"The water was getting cold and I was already freezing. As far as I remember, someone told me that he was going to be here 10 minutes ago." Cuddy told House. "Are you still freezing?" Cuddy nodded.

"Then let's warm you up." House said with a huge grin on his face. He leaned down and kisses Cuddy. Their kiss became passionate and they slowly moved towards her bedroom. On the way they slowly got rid of House's jacket and shirt.

As soon as Cuddy's legs touched the bed, they collapsed on the bed. Cuddy's hand moved away from his neck towards the belt of his jeans. Their breathing increased even more. While Cuddy fumbled with his belt they felt a vibration, accompanied by the sound of 'MMMBop'.

_'Mmm bop, ba duba dop_  
_ Ba du bop, ba duba dop_  
_ Ba du bop, ba duba dop_  
_ Ba du_

_ Mmm bop, ba duba dop_  
_ Ba du bop, Ba du dop_  
_ Ba du bop, Ba du dop_  
_ Ba du'_

They both groaned and lay still for a second before House reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone.

"It's my team." House said and answered while still lying on top of Cuddy.

"Please tell me that you got something. And make it short. I am kind of busy here." He said trying to breathe normally.

"We tested the patient's blood and…"

"Will you please get to the point?" House interrupted. Cuddy looked at him and brushed with her hands over his chest. House covered the speaker of his cell phone and kissed her.

"It showed high IgG levels. Adding that to the diffusely enlarged pancreas, the patient most likely has an autoimmune pancreatitis." House groaned and pulled away from Cuddy.

"You called me because of that. I guess you know what to do now. Start him on prednisone." He hung up, threw his cell phone on the nightstand and looked at Cuddy smiling.

"So, where were we?" He asked. Cuddy moved her hands from his chest towards his jeans and began opening the zipper.

"I guess we were right here." She told him with a smile on her face and started to remove House's jeans. House kissed her passionately.

* * *

The next morning House woke up at 8 am. He opened his eyes, turned around and found an empty space beside him. There was only a note on Cuddy's pillow. House took it and read it.

'Good morning!

Had to leave for a board meeting.

Breakfast is in the fridge.

Love, L.'

House grinned and lay back down.

* * *

Lydia walked down the stairs towards the main desk. It was 8:30 am and she decided to drive to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital to meet Greg.

"I would like to pay for the room." She said and handed her credit card over the counter.

On the wall next to the door she saw a map of Princeton. Lydia walked over there and looked at it. The hospital was only a few miles away.

"Excuse me, madam." The receptionist caught her attention. "This credit card is frozen."

* * *

House walked into the hospital around 9:30 am. There were only a few sick people in the clinic. House tried to walk quickly to the elevator. But when he walked past the main desk nurse Brenda saw him.

"Dr. House. Dr. Cuddy asked me to remind you that you are on clinic duty today, since you have no case." House rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have enough doctors there? No need for me." He answered and continued to walk towards the elevator.

"No, at the moment we have only one other doctor. That's why you were scheduled for clinic duty." House stopped and turned around when the elevator doors opened.

"Who the hell makes such a bad schedule?"

"That would be me." He heard a very familiar voice behind him. Cuddy had just returned from her board meeting and walked towards House with her Blackberry in one hand and a big folder in the other.

"Good morning Dr. Cuddy." House said grinning.

"Good morning to you, too." Cuddy walked past him and House followed her.

"You are scheduled for clinic duty, because you haven't done any of your 8 clinic hours this week." Cuddy arrived at her office and walked through the doors.

"So today is your last day to do them. Otherwise you will have to do them next week. INCLUDING the 4 hours of next week." She sat down behind her desk and looked at House who was standing on the other side of the desk.

"Alright, but you will have to call me the next time BEFORE you take a bath and wait for me." House said, turned around and walked out of his office.

Cuddy watched him leave and remembered the good time they had the night before.

* * *

Around 10 am Lydia arrived at the hospital and walked into the main lobby. After the receptionist had told her that her credit card had been frozen, she used almost all of her cash to pay for the room.

She stopped at the front desk. Nurse Jeffrey looked up from his crossword puzzle.

"What can I do for you?" he asked her harshly.

"Uhm. I am looking for a Dr. Gregory House. Is he working here?" She asked him. Nurse Jeffrey rolled his eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes. He is in the clinic, but I don't know if he is working or yanking on the chain of command. Again." He pointed towards the glass doors to the clinic and turned his attention to his crossword puzzle again.

Lydia was irritated but she thanked him and walked through the doors. The clinic was almost empty. At the desk she asked for Greg again and the nurse told her to sit down in exam room two and wait. She sat down in exam room two and waited for 10 minutes.

* * *

House walked out of exam room one with a patient. He handed the file in his hand over the counter to the next nurse and threw the vial of blood onto the counter. "Need to test this as soon as possible." He said and looked up. The nurse looked at him. "There is a woman waiting for you in exam room two. She said it was personal." The nurse told him.

House opened the door to exam room two. Lydia looked up and smiled. "Greg. It's good to see you." She said. House looked at her and was caught off guard. "Lydia. What are you doing here?"

* * *

**Oh...ohh...**

**Please review**

**V**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey!**

**Happy 2nd Advent. This is the next chapter to my story. Hope you like it. **

**Don't forget to review.**

**~Davidozzo**

**P.S. I should say that this chapter still taked place a week before the shooting.  
**

* * *

"_Lydia. What are you doing here?"_

Lydia smiled and stood up from the chair in the exam room. "Let me rephrase that. What the hell are you doing here?" House asked closing the door. Lydia still smiled.

"I wanted to see you." She answered. House sighed.

"Last year you made it clear that you didn't want to see me again." House sat down dangling his legs.

"Well, actually, I left my husband." Lydia told him. House looked at her.

"You what?"

* * *

Cuddy worked on some paperwork. When she was done she glanced up and saw an unusually full clinic. The nurses were rotating and tried to deal with angry waiting patients.

Cuddy stood up and left her office. At the nurses' station she asked a nurse.

"What's going on here?"

* * *

"I couldn't take it anymore." Lydia said.

"The last year had been terrible. I always wondered what might have happened if I had chosen to be with you." House didn't know what to say. Lydia walked towards him and placed her left hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"Where is Dr. House?" The nurse shrugged with her shoulders.

"I don't know. He is in exam room two but I don't know if he is with a patient." Cuddy sighed and walked towards exam room two.

* * *

"Don't do that." House warned her.

"What do you mean?" House removed her hand from his shoulder.

"You are at least 6 months too late." House told her and Lydia didn't understand.

"I am in a serious relationship, believe it or not. And I would appreciate if you could just accept this." Lydia stood I front of him looking at the floor.

"So if you don't have anything wrong with you, you should leave." House told her and pointed towards the door.

They stood there for a couple seconds. House made a move towards the door before Lydia found her voice again.

"No, wait." She said loudly, stepped towards him and kissed him. It that moment the door to exam room two opened. Cuddy looked at them with wide open eyes and mouth. House shoved Lydia away from him.

"Stop this." He yelled.

"What is going on here?" Cuddy asked confused. House's head turned towards the door and he saw Cuddy leaving.

"Cuddy." He yelled and looked at Lydia before leaving the room and hurrying after Cuddy. Cuddy had already passed the nurses' station.

"Cuddy, wait." House yelled once more. Everyone turned their head towards them. House followed Cuddy into her office. She wiped away the first tears.

"You know, that tops everything. YOU kissing some clinic patient tops everything."

"Will you listen to me? She started it and I told her to stop it." House explained and stepped towards her.

"But you knew her." Cuddy stated and turned to look at House. He paused for a minute and took a deep breath.

"Yes, I know her. But I didn't kiss her, she did." House explained.

"Well, obviously she came here to see you. So you should talk to her. Tell her to leave." Cuddy told him. House walked towards her but Cuddy raised her hand and stopped him.

"No, stop it. I don't need to hear anything. Just make sure she leaves the hospital." House sighed. Cuddy was obviously hurt. He hadn't told her about Lydia after he came back from Mayfield. Only Wilson knew about her.

House left Cuddy's office. The nurses glanced at him. Lydia was still sitting in the exam room. House entered and left the door open.

"You need to leave, now." House told her harshly. Lydia nodded.

"I am sorry that I caused you trouble with your boss. Maybe we should meet somewhere else." She asked. House shook his head.

"Don't you get it? I don't want to see you; I don't want to talk to you anymore. The German-English translation has always been difficult. So let's make it clear. I am NOT interested in you because I am in a relationship. And I will not compromise that because of you. I have waited a long time to be with her and I will not screw that up because you decided to leave your husband." House had spoken loudly and half the patients and nurses in the waiting room looked at him.

Lydia was speechless. "I am sorry." She said and grabbed her purse. "Do you want me to tell your boss not to tell your girlfriend?" Lydia asked while she stood in the door frame. House didn't look at her.

"No need. She already knows." Lydia looked at him confused, before she realized what he meant.

"Oh. OK. I am sorry. I really thought we had a chance." She said and left the clinic.

In the lobby she almost bumped into nurse Jeffrey. "Sorry." She mumbled. Nurse Jeffrey recognized her and grinned when he saw Lydia storm out of the hospital. He had to find out what House had done to her. Maybe that would be enough to finally get rid of him.

The rest of the day Cuddy avoided House. She worked in her office and signed papers. House went to Wilson's office after his clinic duty was over. Without a knock he entered Wilson's office and found Wilson sitting at his desk.

"House, I am busy." He said without looking up. House fell onto the couch. "House, I meant it. I am really busy. Talk to Cuddy." House groaned.

"Not an option. I cannot talk to her about her." Wilson looked up.

"You guys had a fight?" he asked. House shrugged with his shoulders.

"She met Lydia…" House stated.

"And?"

"…while she kissed me." House continued and Wilson's facial expressions froze in shock.

"WHAT?"

"Lydia came to the clinic and told me that she had left her husband." Wilson looked at House. His mouth and eyes were wide open.

"What did Cuddy say? Did you talk to her?" Wilson asked. House sighed.

"I tried but she didn't really listen to me. And now she practically locked herself in her office and is avoiding me." House explained.

"Well, you should tell her about how and where you met Lydia." Wilson said.

House sat up and leaned on his cane. "How do you think I do that? She is not even listening to me." House said loudly. He was annoyed by Wilson's lame ideas.

"Then you have to make her listen to you." House listened to Wilson. "I don't know. You are the master of manipulation. I guess you will find a way to make her listen to you." Wilson said and House suddenly got up and left the room without a word. "Where are you going? House!" Wilson yelled, but he got no answer.

* * *

Bill was on the phone with his phone company. Earlier this morning he noticed that a fair amount of money was missing in his account was missing.

He immediately checked all transactions and saw that Lydia had purchased a plane ticket to Princeton, New Jersey. Now he was checking out the phone calls Lydia had made this week.

"Bill, are you still there?" the man on the other side asked. He was a close friend of Bill. They knew each other from High school and did each other favours once in a while.

"Yes Jim, I am."

"There were a couple call; One to a psychiatric facility in Phoenix, to a home number in Phoenix. And there was also a call to a hospital in Princeton." That name rang a bell.

"Princeton? Which hospital?" he asked Jim.

"It was Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, extension 226." Bill wrote down everything he heard.

"Thanks a lot Jim." He said.

"So I will see you next Monday in the bowling alley?" Jim asked him.

"I don't know. I got to do something first and I don't know if I can make it. I'll call, ya." Bill answered and hung up.

He looked down on the notepad and read his note. That had to be the hospital. Bill picked up his phone and dialled the number of PPTH and extension 226.

It had to be the doctor Lydia had met last year. They didn't know any doctors in Princeton.

"Dr. House's office, this is Dr. Hadley." Bill remained quiet.

That SOB wasn't in his office. Bill hung up without saying anything. Dr. House. Now he had the name Lydia didn't tell him.

He had to meet this guy and tell him what he thought.

* * *

**So that was it for now...**

**Please make my day and review**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the next part for my story.I couldn't publish earlier because of an unusually bad case of writer's block. And I had some things going on (Presentation, papers, etc.). So I hope you like it.**

**~Davidozzo**

* * *

**This part is still taking place one week before House got shot.**

After the incident in the clinic the rest of the day was uneventful. Cuddy had practically locked herself in her office. House glanced through the glass doors when he left that evening. Cuddy was still working. He entered her office.

"I am leaving now. Do you want to come with me?" he asked Cuddy, who didn't look up and kept signing papers.

"No, I still have to do some work before the weekend." She answered coldly. House stood still and watched her.

"Is this about this morning?" he asked.

"No, I have a lot of paperwork here and I want to finish, so that my weekend is free." House didn't buy it.

"You are still mad. I can tell. The way you move your head when you are mad is pretty distinctive. I really want to explain it to you." House began but Cuddy interrupted him.

"Can we talk about that later? I really need to work." She looked up from her papers. House nodded and looked at her. Their eyes locked for a moment.

"Alright I will leave then." House said and turned to leave Cuddy's office. Cuddy looked after him before she turned back to her work. All day she had thought about House and that woman. Although she had seen that House had pushed her away, Cuddy was hurt. 'How did he know her anyway? Why did she come to the clinic to see him?' Cuddy thought. They definitely had to talk about this.

* * *

House left the parking lot on his motorcycle and drove to Cuddy's place. It was already 7 pm and he decided to relieve Marina. As soon as he entered the house he heard Rachel. Marina had prepared some dinner. She and Rachel were now sitting in the kitchen and ate dinner. As soon as House walked into the kitchen Rachel dropped her little fork and smiled at him."Dadday!" she yelled and reached towards him.

During the last months House and Rachel had spent some time together. At first House didn't know what to do with a 2-year old and he didn't want to get involved as much. But as time passed he started to like the little girl as much as she liked him. A couple weeks ago she even started to call him Daddy.

Marina got up. "Hello, Lisa didn't tell me that you were coming over tonight." House nodded.

"Yeah, she has to work late and I thought I could relieve you."

"Thanks. That's good. Rachel is ready for bed. We just ate dinner, so that shouldn't be a problem." Marina told him. House nodded and walked towards Rachel to pick her up.

"Hey munch kin, how was your day? Did you have fun?" Rachel nodded. Marina walked into the kitchen fully dressed.

"I am leaving now." She said.

"Alright." House picked up Rachel and walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch placing Rachel beside him.

"Where is Mommy?" Rachel turned and asked House.

"Mommy has to stay a little longer at work, so that she has time for you tomorrow." House explained."Would you like to go to the zoo, to see some animals? Huh?"

Rachel turned towards him and looked at him with huge eyes and an even bigger grin on her face.

"I take that as a yes." House answered and turned the TV on. The cartoon Rachel loved was on air and they watched it together. Every thirty seconds Rachel giggled, even though House thought it wasn't funny at all.

A little later both of them had dozed off. House leaned against the back of the couch, feet on the table. When Rachel was around, Cuddy usually tried to keep him from putting his feet on the table, because she didn't want Rachel to pick up bad habits. House didn't care. Rachel was sitting on his lap and had snuggled into his side. House held her unconsciously to keep her from falling off the couch.

* * *

Cuddy had left work an hour after House and arrived at her House at 8 pm. She only saw his motorcycle in the driveway. He must have sent Marina home to watch Rachel himself. He had done it quite a few times in the last couple weeks. Rachel seemed to like House even more than Lucas. Cuddy arrived at her door and entered her house. The place was dark except for the living room, where she saw the light flicker. House was probably watching TV. Cuddy walked in and the picture in front of her made her smile fro the first time since this morning. House was sitting on the couch, his head reclined. His mouth was slightly open and he held Rachel in his arms. When Cuddy walked over House opened his eyes and turned his head towards her. Cuddy smiled at him.

"Hey. You are here already?" House said.

"Yeah." Cuddy answered and picked up Rachel. "I will bring her to bed, so that we can talk." She continued and walked out of the room. House stayed on the couch.

Cuddy returned five minutes later and sat next to House. "Listen, I had some time to think and I came to the conclusion that it is none of my business. You obviously met before we were together and I just hope that you are truthful to me." Cuddy started before House had even opened his mouth.

"You don't need to explain anything to me." She added.

"No, I want to." House protested. Cuddy opened her mouth but House cut her off.

"I want to explain it to you. I met Lydia when I was in Mayfield." Cuddy's eyes went wide.

"She went to a psychiatric facility?" House shook his head.

"No, please don't interrupt me. She regularly visited her best friend and sister-in-law, who hadn't spoken a word in over ten years. So she was playing the piano for her. One day I went inside without authorisation and we started talking. The following weeks she came more often and sometimes we played together." House stopped for a moment to look at Cuddy."She was the first person I opened up to and eventually one night she was there and we slept together." Cuddy looked at him.

"What then?" she asked when House didn't continue.

"Well, a little later her sister-in-law started talking again and they moved to Arizona. The day I heard I went to talk to her and asked her to stay, but she didn't want to give up her family. I was disappointed at first, but later I realized that it wasn't love, what I felt for her. I was attracted to her. Not as much as I am to you, of course." Cuddy smiled and raised her hand and brushed through House's hair.

"Thank you for telling me about her." House put his arm around Cuddy and drew her closer to him.

"Are we good?" He asked her.

Cuddy remained silent for some time. Then she leaned forward and kissed House. When she broke the kiss she said. "Yes we are good." House smiled and kissed her passionately.

Later the night they were lying in bed together. Cuddy snuggled into his side drawing circles on his chest. House broke the silence. "We have to go to the zoo tomorrow."

* * *

**That was it for now... Tell me what you think!**

**Nex part will be there soon.**


End file.
